Over the past few months, an influx of news coverage has warned the public that their pedal-assist bicycles are allegedly about to spontaneously combust, engulfing homes and everyone within them in a fiery inferno. On March 4, Fox News released an article stating that “e-bike batteries are exploding and killing people.” Similarly, NPR has stated “as popularity of micro-mobility devices has soared across the U.S., so too have risen the number of fires associated with the lithium-iron batteries powering them.”

These exploding batteries, when attached to a bike, are often attached to cheap, imported ones from sites like Alibaba, which are allowed to enter the county under the infamous “de minimis rule” This loophole in federal law is having a dangerous impact on the e-bike industry, allowing overseas manufacturers to sell direct-to-consumer e-bikes at a price of less than $800. These bikes do not go through the normal customs process which involves steep duties and taxes nor do they comply with certain Consumer Product Safety Commission regulations and guidelines.

With a thoughtful and holistic approach to battery safety, the e-bike has the potential to be a fire-safe mobility option.

If you own one of these battery powered e-bikes or pedal-assisted bikes and are concerned about the safety defect with the lithium-iron batteries powering them, fill out the form below to participate in Shub Law’s Investigation.